THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Plants for a shady border… be aware, some can cope with deeper shade than others, but all are worthwhile garden plants. For more plants, try Dan Pearson’s list…
Scilla
Snowdrop
Narcissus
Leucojum
Liriope
Hakonechloa
Deschampsia
Foxgloves
Aquilegia
Honesty
Campion
Forget me not
Campanula
Clematis
Cephalaria
Thalictrum
Epimedium
Gillenia
Alchemilla
Hellebore
Japanese anemone
Trillium
Brunnera
Trollius
Bergenia
Tellima
Hosta
Pulmonaria
Aster
Primula
Rodgersia
Asarum
Kirengeshoma
Gallium
Convallaria
Buxus
Hydrangea
Daphne
Sarcococca
Ribes
Ilex
Rosa
Cherry
Polypodium
Dryopteris
For books on what plants to use for a shady border, try these…
Alan Titchmarsh How to Garden: Gardening in the Shade
Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden
And probably one of the best writers about gardens… Keith Wiley:
The Telegraph Wrote About My Topiary Work Yesterday
If you have a subscription, you can check out an article about bespoke ideas for your garden in the Telegraph. There are some great crafts people there, so check it out. Click Here To See The Article About my Topiary Work In The Telegraph
Lockdown Thinking, Changes A-Coming…
Lockdown has given me a chance to look through old notebooks and begin, gently, to piece together some sort of narrative about Modern Mint and how it has grown over the last six years. And it has changed massively in that time! Modern Mint Now, June Lockdown 2020 I currently make and maintain topiary all over the UK for clients who love well-pruned hedges and sculptures. I love this job – it is a beautiful art. In the winter I prune wisteria, roses and fruit trees in orchards. Much colder, shorter work days… but equally satisfying work. I give talks …
The Garden In Motion
During lockdown I went through a number of old notebooks. I found a note about Gilles Clement and The Garden In Motion – Le Jardin En Mouvement. Underneath my note I had written: “To be researched more! Something to definitely think over!” Now, five years later I have looked again… and am thrilled by this idea. The Garden In Motion is about taking a piece of unused land, and then as the gardener you make choices to do ‘as much as possible for the land and as little as possible against’ it. You are talking about limited input – watering, …